The Boy I Was Warned About

deleted the sentence that c

n't know who

n my laptop screen, my finger

ped spread the post about Ruby. I had known about i

sent

mage my reputation, and possibly destroy the scholars

. I had turned off notifications after the anonymo

stop thinki

nd them the screenshot of

hether they had proof of my conversation with the teacher, wheth

d been watching me closely enough t

atement and ch

til thre

n ho

ecting the person who had helped humiliate Ruby or

nded on my

rpe

her's

me

mug of tea. She placed it on my

the sta

es

ou fini

mos

ut the chair

I rea

sita

to make her ex

help you if you ke

kno

let

he laptop

g. When she reached the paragraph about my

ol you didn't know

odd

hough y

es

k a slo

ell me any of thi

down at

w you would be

not an

s the a

, and I hated

if I got involved, people would start talking about me too. I thought

he bullying

d not

s sat be

oked back at

t that you made the wrong choice," she sai

my lips

lose the sc

ill deal w

e everything I

ned tow

worked for is to lie about what happened to a

dn't a

hed for

ather see you lose an opportunity because you told the truth t

r, tears gathe

fect. I had turned her hopes into rules and convinced my

g me that the mist

ed was what

how to fix thi

be able to fi

eezed m

n stop maki

, I returned t

e the pa

I included

omething I had

er lied when asked whether I knew who was involved. I had wanted to p

to make it

ng and confused, even th

me Tessa for

what h

ment, signed it, and pla

finally ready t

uickly the truth wo

side my locker when

were swollen, and her usual confidence had been

we need

ed my

ve cl

is imp

is c

ught m

eas

r hand until s

t, neither

"I heard about

ach tig

om

it m

es

d down the

e you're planni

ed my

the school w

ve to name me

y ask who wa

say you don

emem

ce har

part. Why are you suddenly acting lik

the teacher asked m

e protec

tecting my

ion silenc

though she had never

shook h

ause of Liam

N

re questioning everything I say, you're taking his side, and now you're pr

s side. I'm trying

tru

's tr

aughed

't innocen

red a

oes tha

. She kept following him around, and when he d

t justify wh

do anythin

ented on

com

lped sp

ow it would

and students had begun

red my

e you asking

opened, but

ip, I saw her without the excuses

st afraid of

of losing contr

nderstand,"

plain it

ooked

this gets back to them, they'll take everything a

inful twist

father expected perfect grades and her mother t

as being humiliated. She

e you feel that way," I said

filled wi

sing a boy you've barely k

osing not to

tared

e stepp

know what yo

ay before I c

or, my chest aching with the loss of so

bell

y bag and hea

years, I was not walki

eed called me t

near the window. Mr. Hayes stood beside

as that Liam had t

somehow discovered I had n

the papers on M

ed phot

the orig

ent bearing

own, Harper,"

chair opp

't look

opened t

uspension. The online material that has recently resurfaced

oulders w

oks," Mr. Hayes continued. "We have also received information suggesting that

ened around the

that mean

are not reversing it today. We need to establish what happened, who was involve

ally loo

ing different in

ho

t

f someone who had been disappointe

es added. "He is concerned about the public attent

out a sho

urse h

nderstand that this is frustrating,

ded me before anyone

of the issues

d back in

in

d looke

is three o'clock today. Once it has been submitted,

odd

subm

flickered

I thought he might a

did

Hayes left with the folder, and Ms. Reed as

red my

rpe

oice sto

urn

he desk, his hand

ell them a

n caught me

t y

you w

es

died m

at abou

allo

g them what

nt, he sai

he no

oo

n. I had prepared myself to hear that my decisi

e simply s

't forg

oken to me without sounding as thou

mall difference as

a decision that mig

d to live

anded my statemen

rst page, then

, Harper. We'll review this a

e contact

need to ask you ad

odd

rig

fice with my

d do

including the part t

ll week, I felt as t

asted exactly

phone bega

ge from

u seen the scho

the lin

st had a

ot of a private convers

nvers

ubbles, the date, and t

bout the post, but I di

promised yo

sorry. I won't t

nshot end

tion of the fact that I had eventually reported the post. No con

mise to pro

, someone

THEN HELPED COVER IT UP. HOW LONG HA

as spreadi

appeared

who did it t

about being

clean because

lt s

had finally made for myself and turne

hone

mot

barely abl

what is g

n exp

aid private information related to

n't po

re saying you helped

involved, Mum. I admitt

le

s there anything e

broke somethi

ered. "That's

e whether sh

respond, another

wn nu

clin

followed i

have listen

ano

ne knows w

and pressed it a

ected con

hose consequences would unfold, or to release inf

to private messages

what I had to

me closely enough to know

longer jus

to control th

illing to destr

outside the

brick wall, staring at his phon

e slipped the pho

w it,"

't a qu

odd

send that

kno

er surpr

u d

ned, you wouldn't have handed the

him, searchi

do you thi

n't k

towards

has information t

the anonymous message

they ha

jaw tig

hey know before they dec

W

anced

me regret

a small, disbeliev

ppeared

m sorry a

oked

kno

king you to

oo

elp correct what happened. Whatever the sch

nt for seve

u can't undo what

kno

decide what she

w that

tudi

t making promises

he road, and I foll

until we reached the

hip application was under review. My

had acknowledged that I might

sn't

h to make me wan

is pho

d for a few seconds,

mean, she's

ression

pped

ia

and, listening

he

pa

od

as drained

all and stared

ppened?"

irst time since I'd known him,

ing back to

for him t

did

ked carefully. "I mean,

back because eve

was low an

e was staying with a friend while she dealt with everyth

mach d

has she

on't

own at his

house this morning. She said she was go

he

es lifted

centre on Ind

t, neither

g we had chosen for o

supposed to inve

he go there?

n't k

king again, fa

oll

mother. Or Mr. Hayes. Someone n

and turned

uch help it is. Ruby doesn't trust adults right now. If she thinks we

d the fear

teen, angry, and terrified of losing th

n't go alon

as though he w

ropped to the p

eep a secr

urt more than

e screenshot online. The anonymous account that h

try,"

pression

not good

rned

ght h

ink Ruby is in danger, I'm getting hel

t my hand o

looked

in

towards Ind

but I ignored it until we

creen, I found a new message

no text

photo

youth centre, her face turned towar

had been take

was a singl

fore sunset, he'll learn wh

ped wa

turne

t is

message, my bl

new Ruby

we were goi

d just made it clear that find